In 2019, the Texas legislature passed a historic education finance bill that included an initiative to add up to 30 days to the school-year calendar. One way districts can do this is to offer a voluntary summer learning program. In 2020, the American Institutes for Research, with support from The Wallace Foundation, launched the six-year Texas…

Community partnerships empower charter schools by strengthening their capacity to serve the needs of students, families, and staff through deliberate partnerships with community-based entities. The autonomy that charter schools are afforded uniquely equips them with the flexibility to engage partners and even design schools for which one or more…

A Family Geography Night (FGN) kit can be used to bring families together, teach about the world, give parents the opportunity to share their beliefs, and participate in the educational system while having fun! Geography is an essential element of twenty-first-century education. More than just maps, geography is the interaction of cultures,…

Children's connection to nature (CTN) is declining with each generation, a concerning trend given that CTN is positively linked to wellbeing and environmentalism. A primary cause of this decline is that twenty-first-century youth engage with screens for several hours each day, which to a large extent replaces nature-based play. Researchers have…

The concept of a new family coordinator (someone to orient new families to the local 4-H programs and serve as a contact person for them) is examined. The training of this coordinator, the "New Family Handbook," and benefits of this new system are discussed. (CT)

Results of a study of the elderly in one community show that they place a high value on self-reliance and independence. Social planners should make use of these values to motivate the elderly to become more receptive to programs designed to help them to help themselves. (CT)

A study explored the perspectives of nine participants engaged in a specific person-centered future planning model for individuals with disabilities and their families. Focus group themes included: evolution of person-centered planning circles or teams, inhibitors to the person-centered planning process, supports to the person-centered planning…

This monograph offers middle grades educators recommendations for increasing the involvement of family members in school-related programs and activities. Introductory material describes the earlier work of the National Middle School Association in fostering parent involvement. Next, the monograph describes reasons for encouraging such involvement,…

This monograph offers suggestions to teachers and administrators for involving parents in middle school programs. It outlines the reasons for encouraging such involvement, identifies some of the roles parents may play, and delineates the steps to be taken in establishing a program that taps the time and talents of parents and other adults.…

Highlights the key issues in kinship care and discusses them as they relate to agency structure for kinship family support in the public child welfare system. Examines concerns for future planning, including meeting regulations, monitoring, and development of permanent plans, and explores implications for policy and practice. (Author/SD)

Considerations in designing and implementing family literacy programs for the limited-English-speaking population are examined and some solutions are illustrated in one federally-funded program for Latino families, Project FLAME (Family Literacy: Aprendiendo, Mejorando, Educando/Learning, Bettering, Educating). An introductory section looks at the…

The Kennedy Children's Room and Family Center Program was developed by the joint endeavors of faculty from West Virginia University and personnel at the Kennedy Center Federal Correctional Institution, Morgantown, West Virginia. Goals are (1) to develop and implement a model training program which focuses on fostering and enhancing effective…

Child Care Dallas planned and implemented a project aiming to produce an employer-assisted family day care system which would meet the developmental needs of infants and toddlers, increase the community supply of infant/toddler care, be affordable for parents and employers, demonstrate effective methods for recruiting and training competent…

This report of the Oregon Special Education Technology Task Force presents recommendations reflecting both the demands expected early in the coming century for students with disabilities and corresponding advances in technology. It encompasses four broad areas: administration; professional development; children, youth, and their families; and…

Since their appearance in the early 1970s, family support programs have represented a new way of working with families, based on the partnership they establish with families, their acceptance in the community as an asset and resource for all families, and the trusting relationship they build with families who participate in these programs. This…